John Mayer will play at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater on April 25

Published: Monday, March 4, 2013 at 10:59 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, March 4, 2013 at 10:59 a.m.

John Mayer will perform at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater April 25, filling in a date canceled last year due to illness.

Mayer's Tuscaloosa show will be among his first full-length concerts in three years. A planned April 26, 2012 show at the Amphitheater was cancelled, along with the rest of last year's appearances, after a throat granuloma returned. He'd been put on vocal rest six months prior, then had to call off shows indefinitely. Tuscaloosa native Chuck Leavell was to have been keyboardist for that band.

On the cancelation last year, he wrote on his Tumblr blog: "I love the guys and girls I work with, and the only thing that stops me from devolving into a puddle of tears is knowing that it's a long life, and the greatest gift in the world is being able to create music no matter what the circumstances. So these are the new circumstances, and I'll find a way to make it mean something. That's all you can ever do."

Mayer credits Marty McFly's (Michael J. Fox) guitar solo in "Back to the Future" for driving his initial fascination with the instrument. He began his career working in more of an acoustic-pop sound, but slid into blues as his guitar skills developed, collaborating with legends such as B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy. He's worked with other artists from a wide range of sounds, including the Dixie Chicks, Jay Z, Alicia Keys, T-Bone Burnett and Herbie Hancock.

His studio output began in 2001 with "Room for Squares" and followed in 2003 with "Heavier Things." Both discs went platinum, partly on the basis of Grammy-winning hits such as "Your Body is a Wonderland," "No Such Thing" and "Daughters." All five of his studio discs, including last year's "Born and Raised," have been No. 1 hits in the U.S. He's also cut four popular live discs and three EPs, featuring hit singles including "Waiting on the World to Change," "Say," "Who Says" and "Half of My Heart" with Taylor Swift. Mayer has sold more than 17 million discs worldwide.

Once included in Time magazine's Time 100 list of the most influential contemporary thinkers, leaders, artists and entertainers, he's twice been featured on the cover of Rolling Stone annual Guitar issue.

Mayer's Tuscaloosa show will be a prelude to an appearance at the 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival April 26, and will follow his performance and induction speech for Albert King at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony April 18.

Rising Birmingham-based soul band St. Paul and the Broken Bones will open the 7:30 p.m. show. Veteran music critic Ann Powers included St. Paul and the Broken Bones in her work "An Under-the-Radar Albums Preview for 2013." The band is relatively new, with just the EP "Greetings from St. Paul and the Broken Bones" out currently, although a full-length disc will be out later this year.

"I found out about St. Paul and the Broken Bones from a friend who lives in Nashville, Jewly Hight," Powers said in a story for Tusk. "I thought, ‘Wow, this band has great chops and can play.' "

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com, the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater box office, or by phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets will be $45 and $75, with all seats reserved. Ticket packages also will be available through tickets-for-charity.com to benefit work supporting veterans.

<p>John Mayer will perform at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater April 25, filling in a date canceled last year due to illness. </p><p>Mayer's Tuscaloosa show will be among his first full-length concerts in three years. A planned April 26, 2012 show at the Amphitheater was cancelled, along with the rest of last year's appearances, after a throat granuloma returned. He'd been put on vocal rest six months prior, then had to call off shows indefinitely. Tuscaloosa native Chuck Leavell was to have been keyboardist for that band.</p><p>On the cancelation last year, he wrote on his Tumblr blog: "I love the guys and girls I work with, and the only thing that stops me from devolving into a puddle of tears is knowing that it's a long life, and the greatest gift in the world is being able to create music no matter what the circumstances. So these are the new circumstances, and I'll find a way to make it mean something. That's all you can ever do."</p><p>Mayer credits Marty McFly's (Michael J. Fox) guitar solo in "Back to the Future" for driving his initial fascination with the instrument. He began his career working in more of an acoustic-pop sound, but slid into blues as his guitar skills developed, collaborating with legends such as B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy. He's worked with other artists from a wide range of sounds, including the Dixie Chicks, Jay Z, Alicia Keys, T-Bone Burnett and Herbie Hancock.</p><p>His studio output began in 2001 with "Room for Squares" and followed in 2003 with "Heavier Things." Both discs went platinum, partly on the basis of Grammy-winning hits such as "Your Body is a Wonderland," "No Such Thing" and "Daughters." All five of his studio discs, including last year's "Born and Raised," have been No. 1 hits in the U.S. He's also cut four popular live discs and three EPs, featuring hit singles including "Waiting on the World to Change," "Say," "Who Says" and "Half of My Heart" with Taylor Swift. Mayer has sold more than 17 million discs worldwide.</p><p>Once included in Time magazine's Time 100 list of the most influential contemporary thinkers, leaders, artists and entertainers, he's twice been featured on the cover of Rolling Stone annual Guitar issue.</p><p>Mayer's Tuscaloosa show will be a prelude to an appearance at the 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival April 26, and will follow his performance and induction speech for Albert King at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony April 18.</p><p>Rising Birmingham-based soul band St. Paul and the Broken Bones will open the 7:30 p.m. show. Veteran music critic Ann Powers included St. Paul and the Broken Bones in her work "An Under-the-Radar Albums Preview for 2013." The band is relatively new, with just the EP "Greetings from St. Paul and the Broken Bones" out currently, although a full-length disc will be out later this year.</p><p>"I found out about St. Paul and the Broken Bones from a friend who lives in Nashville, Jewly Hight," Powers said in a story for Tusk. "I thought, 'Wow, this band has great chops and can play.' "</p><p>Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com, the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater box office, or by phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets will be $45 and $75, with all seats reserved. Ticket packages also will be available through tickets-for-charity.com to benefit work supporting veterans.</p>